Sacrifice

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

Announcements:

Baptism Next Week

Cory Collison - Men’s Ice Fishing in March

Jodi Decker - Missions Update

ME

Doug Reed - Possibilities Africa

EFCA Theology Conference in Chicago

Proud of being a part of the EFCA

Unwavering and uncompromising on the Word of God. Deeply encouraged

Today we will be continuing our study of The Generosity Factor. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 864. If you do not have a Bible, please stop by the Welcome Center and take one. It is our gift to you.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

Do you ever feel like what you have to offer won’t make a difference? It won’t matter?

In 1964, a woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked outside her apartment in Queens, New York. The story that circulated (and became foundational in psychology) was that dozens of neighbors heard or saw some part of the attack, but none of them intervened or called the police right away because each assumed someone else would — after all, there were so many people there. This phenomenon became known as the bystander effect — a situation where individuals feel less responsible to help when others are around, leading many to think, “If others will help, my effort won’t really matter.”

We assume others can make a difference, and we cannot. Indeed, we may even think that others are better positioned to make a difference. “Even if I tried to help, it won’t matter.” It won’t make a difference. But what then is our response? We do nothing.

This applies to generosity:

We consider that generosity is rooted in the gospel — it is rooted in God’s generous love for us.

We know that the Lord gives us *his* stuff in order to be a steward, and we will give an account for what we did with it.

As we steward his stuff, we are blessed when we honor him and use his stuff to bless others.

And we steward his stuff by balancing financial priorities, providing for our household, enjoying what God has given us, and being generous.

But there’s something you may have been thinking through this series:

An Common Mindset

“What I have to give will not matter.”

As someone said in a movie once, “there’s always a bigger fish.” We compare ourselves to what others have, and think that even if we were generous, it would not matter. We think “what difference will it make anyway?” And that prevents us from being generous.

What I want to do right now is not shame you, or put pressure on you, because the Lord loves a cheerful giver! I actually want to speak to your heart in a way you might not expect me to do…

I believe your desire for a Kingdom-impact is God-given. You want to know that if you are generous, it will matter! That others will be blessed, that a difference will be made for good. That flourishing will occur. But then you look at your piggy bank and you think “how could I possibly make a difference with that.”

And this exact mindset is what Jesus speaks to in our passage today.

TRANS: Turn with me to Mark chapter 12, starting in verse 38. And if you are following along in the bibles in the seatback in front of you, it is on Page 864.

Mark 12:38–40 ESV

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Sacrifice

Jesus teaches against the scribes.

Mark 12:38-40

It’s an odd place to begin today, but this moment actually sets up Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus is condemning the scribes for using their piety to cover their depravity.

The scribe was distinguished by his linen robe, a long white mantle reaching to the feet and provided with a long fringe. White linen clothes were regarded as a mark of distinction, so that men of eminence (priests, Levites, scribes), or those who wished to parade their position, wore white and left bright colors to the common people.73 By the majority of the people the scribes were venerated with unbounded respect and awe. Their words were considered to possess sovereign authority. When a scribe passed by on the street or in the bazaar people rose respectfully.1

73 Cf. S. Krauss, Talmudische Archäologie I (Leipzig, 1910), pp. 144 f., 547 ff.; W. Michaelis, TWNT IV (Eng. Tr. 1967), pp. 244, 246; K. H. Rengstorf, “Die στολαί der Schriftgelehrten. Eine Erläuterung zu Mark 12, 38” in Abraham unser Vater, Festschrift O. Michel (Leiden, 1963), pp. 383–404.

1 William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 439–440.

At the same time that these scribes were flaunting their “religion,” they were neglecting and exploiting widows.

Background of Widows

Widows were particularly vulnerable in the ancient world. It was understood that if a woman’s husband died, her closest kin should take responsibility for her. If she had no close relatives, or if her family abandoned her, widows were often exploited due to their desperation.

How did widows provide for themselves?

Temple service

Cleaning, preparing food, spinners and weavers for religious practices. Many women were free and were paid a wage, but many were slaves because…

Debt Slavery

There is strong evidence that widows would often sell themselves into slavery to survive. If a widow became deeply in debt, creditors might take her children into slavery as payment.

Prostitution and Begging

Again, without a provider, widows might resort to prostitution or begging on the street to survive. Many widows, if they refused to go down such immoral routes, simply died of starvation.

Because widows were vulnerable, they were exploited.

The Scribes were doing what Isaiah said the wicked would do:

Isaiah 10:1–2 ESV

1 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, 2 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

Key Insight: The pursuit of money had twisted the loyalties of the Scribes. The ones they were to protect were the ones they were exploiting. They had forgotten their faith, they had forgotten their loyalty to God:

In the spring of 1995 congressional Democrats and Republicans were battling over the national budget. According to Reuters, one portion of a tax-cut bill stirred up a storm of controversy. The debated provision was designed to crack down on wealthy Americans who renounce U.S. citizenship to avoid taxes. That’s right. Some American billionaires actually move their citizenship to another country to save money. One politician referred to them as “Benedict Arnold billionaires.”

Money can do terrible things to a person’s loyalties.1

1 Craig Brian Larson, 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers & Writers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002), 356.

TRANS: The stage is set. Jesus is setting up the contrast between those who use religion for their own gain, and those who pursue God no matter the cost. Let’s continue in verse 41…

Mark 12:41–42 ESV

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.

An exploited widow gives.

Mark 12:41-42

The widow’s gift is not impressive by worldly standards, but it is costly. Recall how widows typically survived. Temple service, prostitution, begging, debt slavery, etc. We don’t know how this particular widow came to have these two copper coins, but we know that she was likely living under great poverty and living meal to meal.

The Coins

Notice that the woman put in two copper coins.

English Standard Version

Greek two lepta, which make a kodrantes; a kodrantes (Latin quadrans) was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)

If a Denarius was a day’s wage, she put in 1/32nd of a day’s wage. Or to give an example:

Let’s say for example that a day’s wage was $100, then her offering was about $3. Jesus is noticing that there are wealthy people putting in large sums of money, but this poor widow is where he puts his attention.

So let’s draw a principle: Jesus sees. He sees. What others may deem to be small and insignificant, Jesus sees. He sees your obedience, he sees your sacrifice.

Notice the passage doesn’t say, “Jesus happened to see. . . .” No, Jesus deliberately watched what people were giving. Jesus was close enough to see two tiny coins in a shriveled old hand, and he was interested enough in what people were giving to make an object lesson for his disciples. God makes no apology for paying attention to what we do with the money he’s entrusted to us.

1 Randy Alcorn, Managing God’s Money: A Biblical Guide (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011).

TRANS: As Jesus watches this moment in the temple, he then calls his disciples to himself to teach them…

Mark 12:43–44 ESV

43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Jesus measures sacrifice, not amount.

Mark 12:43-44

Her generosity flows from trust, not surplus. Jesus notices those the world overlooks—and values faith expressed through dependence on God.

The last cent

Scripture: In Mark 12:38–44, Jesus calls his disciples to observe the generous gift of a poor widow. Note that Jesus doesn’t praise the widow as much as he calls his disciples to pay attention since the poor are often invisible. Jesus is teaching that a key question for his followers is not how much to give but how much to hold back. Jesus held nothing back, and neither did the generous widow. 1

1 Moyer V. Hubbard, 2 Corinthians, ed. Mark L. Strauss, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2017), 130.

What is a sacrificial gift to you may be different from someone else. What does sacrifice look like for you?

TRANS: [text]

Application

Generosity is an act of trust.

We fixate on what our generosity will do that we forget that generosity is first and foremost an act of faith. If generosity was only about the results, then why is the act itself commanded by God? Otherwise we would be far more selective. But in God’s economy, our stewardship involves giving to the Lord not because we trust him with a percent, but because we trust him with the whole. At the same time, the percent we give reminds us of the whole God gave us.

Generosity, then, is more about our commitment to God than anything else. The widow’s generosity was a foreshadow of the gospel. She gave all she had, Jesus gave himself.

New Testament Scholar William Lane makes this observation:

The Gospel of Mark 12. The Widow Who Gave Everything. Ch. 12:41–44

What the Twelve had failed to appreciate was the total commitment to God that the widow’s gift represented.

This is why I know people who, no matter what financial hardships come their way, continue to be generous. Perhaps that number stays the same, perhaps it shrinks for a time, but their commitment to generosity remains because they Trust God.

Imagine if the only time anyone was generous was when we had our financial ducks in a row. We could *always* say,

“Well, if I had a larger emergency fund”

“Well, I need to max out my retirement contributions first”

“Well, I saw on the news that the end of the world is nigh, and if it truly is nigh, I should have 5-6 years of emergency rations, a generator, and that old missile silo that went for sale East of here…”

I just gave some of you an idea.

But you see my point. When we sacrificially give, that puts us in a place of trust. And when we are in a place of trust in God, we flourish.

You know we were designed to walk with Him in a trusting relationship?

Why else would God value trusting him with money? If we can trust God with our money, for many of us, that’s functionally trusting him with our entire lives.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 544: Provision

In Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala, author and pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, tells the story of the first financial obstacle he faced upon coming to the tiny church:

When the first mortgage payment rolled around at the end of the month, the checking account showed something like $160 in hand. We were going to default right off the bat. How soon would it take to lose the building and be tossed out into the street? That Monday, my day off, I remember praying, “Lord, you have to help me. I don’t know much—but I do know that we have to pay this mortgage.”

I went to the church on Tuesday. Well, maybe someone will send some money out of the blue, I told myself, like what happened so often with George Mueller and his orphanage back in England—he just prayed, and a letter or a visitor would arrive to meet his need.

The mail came that day—and there was nothing but bills and fliers.

Now I was trapped. I went upstairs, sat at my little desk, put my head down, and began to cry. “God,” I sobbed, “what can I do? We can’t even pay the mortgage.” That night was the midweek service, and I knew there wouldn’t be more than three or four people attending. The offering would probably be less than ten dollars. How was I going to get through this?

I called out to the Lord for a full hour or so. Eventually, I dried my tears—and a new thought came. Wait a minute! Besides the mail slot in the front door, the church also has a post office box. I’ll go across the street and see what’s there. Surely God will answer my prayer!

With renewed confidence I walked across the street, crossed the post office lobby, and twirled the knob on the little box. I peered inside …

Nothing.

As I stepped back into the sunshine, trucks roared down Atlantic Avenue. If one had flattened me just then, I wouldn’t have felt any lower. Was God abandoning us? Was I doing something that displeased him? I trudged wearily back across the street to the little building.

As I unlocked the door, I was met with another surprise. There on the foyer floor was something that hadn’t been there just three minutes earlier: a simple white envelope. No address, no stamp—nothing. Just a white envelope.

With trembling hands I opened it to find … two $50 bills.

I began shouting all by myself in the empty church. “God, you came through! You came through!” We had $160 in the bank, and with this $100 we could make the mortgage payment. My soul let out a deep “Hallelujah!” What a lesson for a disheartened young pastor!

To this day I don’t know where that money came from. I only know it was a sign to me that God was near—and faithful.

Money, Needs, Prayer, Providence, Supply

When we live from trust, every good gift from God is received with thanksgiving and praise.

TRANS: [text]

What you sacrificially give matters.

The problem with the scribes was that they gave out of their abundance, but did so not from trust and worship but for attention. And worse, they likely became rich because they exploited widows much like the one in this scene.

“What I give won’t matter” is not true. By contrast, the Lord sees your sacrifice. The Lord sees your worship and trust.

The principle of how much to give really comes down to this: when you give up to the point that it causes your budget some pain, then it’s sacrifice.

Dr. Eckman and giving 1% more each year

What is Jesus calling you to do? Beware of the comparison trap, simply ask the Lord, “what do you call me to give sacrificially?” And do so from trust, worship, and knowing that what you give matters.

Recall the story of the boy with the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. (John 6) It was the disciples who said to Jesus, “*scoff* what are we supposed to do with this? There’s thousands of people here!” But recall what Jesus did. He blessed what was given sacrificially, and HE multiplied. HE took what was given and increased its impact 100 fold.

Your job is not the result, that’s the Lord’s job. Your job is to respond to Jesus’ sacrificial love with your sacrificial trust and worship.

Conclusion : What is God saying to you today? What is the Lord prompting you to do?

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

Why do people often feel that their generosity is insignificant or meaningless?

How does comparison—either to wealthier people or larger gifts—discourage generosity?

What specifically does Jesus condemn about the scribes’ behavior?

Why do you think Jesus draws attention to this widow instead of the larger donors?

What does sacrificial giving reveal about a person’s view of God?

What keeps people from giving sacrificially—fear, control, uncertainty?

How can we cultivate a heart that trusts God enough to give sacrificially?